OODAcast

Dr. Melissa Flagg is a Senior Fellow at the Center for Security and Emerging Technology (CSET) at Georgetown University. Previously she served as the Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense for Research, responsible for policy and oversight Defense Department science and technology programs including basic research through advanced technology development and the DoD laboratory enterprise. She has worked at the State Department, the Office of Naval Research, the Office of the Secretary of Defense for Research and Engineering, the John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation, and the Army Research Laboratory. Melissa also ran her own consulting business and was the Chief Technology Officer of a small consumer start-up. She has served on numerous boards including the National Academy of Sciences Air Force Studies Board and the Department of Commerce Emerging Technology Research Advisory Committee; she is on the Board of Humanity 2050 and a full trustee with the DC Chapter of the Awesome Foundation. She holds a Ph.D. in Pharmaceutical Chemistry and a B.S. in Pharmacy. In this OODAcast we ask Dr. Flagg about her approach to decision-making, her views on technology trends, and discuss the potential impact of a wide range of critically important subjects including: Artificial Intelligence Quantum Computing Biological Sciences We also ask for her lessons learned on mental models relevant for decision making and explore her eclectic reading habits. Additional Reading: The Five Modes of HACKthink

Mark Weatherford is an icon in the cybersecurity field. He is widely known as a mission focused leader who builds teams and gets hard things done. His career included success in the US Navy as a cryptologist, leadership and management in a major defense integrator, CISO for two states (Colorado and California), CISO of the nation's regulatory organization for our power grid (the NERC), head of security efforts for the newly formed DHS, and operational CISO roles and advisory board positions for several US corporations. Our OODAcast with Mark focused on his insights for the cybersecurity community, including views on how to stay informed in dynamic environments, how to approach the position of CISO, how to optimize your career planning, and how to work with corporate boards as a CISO. He also provides advice for board members and CEOs on interacting with their CISO and security team.   Mark has written on CISO leadership, including two posts for OODA members at: 10 Rules For Cybersecurity Salespeople Embracing a Future of Technical and Political Churn Other Resources: Mark Weatherford on LinkedIn Covid-19 Sensemaking Mitigating Risks To America’s Cognitive Infrastructure 10 Red Teaming Lessons Learned Over 20 Years The Five Modes of HACKthink

In this OODAcast, the tables are turned as OODA Network Expert Jen Hoar interviews CEO Matt Devost and they discuss how Matt consistently identified new threats and opportunities by blending eccentric interests into a career as a serial entrepreneur and become an established expert on cybersecurity, counterterrorism, and technology issues. Having been educated in a one-room schoolhouse in the rural Northeast Kingdom of Vermont, Matt identified a way to blend his interests in emerging national security threats and computer science into a bespoke career path and took persistent risks to realize non-obvious opportunities. Matt's Bio: Matt began his professional career in 1995 hacking into systems for the US Department of Defense and Intelligence Community and over the past twenty-five years has emerged as an established thought leader in the cyber and security domains. A successful entrepreneur, he has founded several companies including FusionX & the Terrorism Research Center and played a key leadership role in a handful of successful companies including Accenture, iSIGHT Partners, iDefense, and Tulco Holdings. He has served as a senior advisor to DoD, a professor at Georgetown University for fourteen years , and is a founding member of the Black Hat review board. Matt’s unique approach to technology, business, and security issues is driven by a technique he calls “HACKthink” – applying a hacker mindset to analyze and dissect complex problems and develop innovative solutions. Matt has appeared on CNN, MSNBC, Fox News, NPR, CBC, CBS News, BBC television, NWCN, Australian television and dozens other domestic and international radio and television programs as an expert on terrorism and cybersecurity and has lectured or published for the National Defense University, the United States Intelligence and Law Enforcement Communities, the Swedish, Australian, Japanese, and New Zealand governments, American University, George Washington University, and a number of popular press books – magazines, academic journals and over 200 international conferences. Matt has co-written or authored chapters for several books including Cyberadversary Characterization, Threats in the Age of Obama, Information Warfare Vol. 2, Sun Tzu Art of War in Information Warfare, Counterterrorism, and Addressing Cyber Instability. He was the technical editor for Hacking a Terror Network and best-selling author David Ignatius’ book The Director, and advised on the Chris Hemsworth movie Black Hat. Additional Resources: Matt's 1995 Thesis - National Security in the Information Age Matt's Writing at OODALoop Recommended Book:  If Then: How the Simulmatics Corporation Invented the Future Connect with Matt on LinkedIn Follow Matt on Twitter

Kevin Roberts has had an illustrious career spanning many industries over numerous continents including serving as Chairman and CEO of Saatchi & Saatchi, one of the world’s leading creative organizations, where he had responsibility for the effectiveness of several of the world’s leading advertising budgets including for clients Toyota and Procter & Gamble. Today, his company Red Rose Consulting counsels business leaders and employees on creative thinking, marketing, and leadership. Kevin is the author of several best-selling books, including an OODA Top 10 Book of the Year for 2017; 64 Shots: Leadership in a Crazy World. OODA CEO, Matt Devost has given away dozens of copies of 64 Shots and it remains a personal favorite of his for the insight and inspiration it provides. In this OODAcast, Kevin provides his perspective on leadership, creativity, decision-making, and driving focus and action to be successful in business and life. Are we living in a super-VUCA world (Volatile, Uncertain, Complex, Ambiguous)? How no plan survives the first 24 hours and how to engage in adaptive decision-making. The role data plays in decision-making and where data falls short. How leadership is about creating leaders, not great teams. The role focus plays in successful entrepreneurship. How to expand your frame of reference by studying other fields. How insights are not insightful. The link between storytelling and leadership. Hacking your way into the future. Managing through a crisis. Who inspires Kevin today and what is he reading. Additional Resources: Red Rose Consulting 64 Shots Book Quant by Quant You Need to Tighten Your OODA Loop Around Covid-19

Gary Harrington had a distinguished career of national service that included over three decades in top tier special operations groups including Delta Force and then transitioning into the CIA. Gary was one of the first to deploy into Afghanistan after 9/11 and was at the tip of the spear in many locations including as a solo operator in high risk venues like Yemen. Today Gary advises private clients on approaches to maintaining security and safety in a volatile and unpredictable world. In this OODAcast, we dive into Gary's career trajectory, and lessons learned from special operations that can be applied to any business operation or to build high-value teams. Gary shares some interesting stories as well, demonstrating where timely decisions and a tight OODA Loop saved his life and how he learned to trust his gut, operate with humility and integrity, how to work with specialized teams, and how to adapt in those instances where he found himself operating alone. Additional Sources: Gary Harrington's OODA Network Interview Gary's Website What Gary is currently reading

Michael Kanaan has helped a wide swath of decision-makers better grasp the nature of AI. He has a knack for expressing complex topics in clear, accurate and succinct ways and many of us in the national security community have already had the pleasure of hearing from him in person or in conferences. His book, T-Minus AI: Humanity’s Countdown to Artificial Intelligence and the New Pursuit of Global Power, provides context and insights in a way that can help concerned citizens and business leaders better grasp the issues of AI. He gives us all a call to action to learn more because as he makes clear in the book, the countdown to AI is actually over. In this OODAcast we explore a bit of what makes Kanaan tick, and dive into his motivations for this book. We discuss what citizens should know about AI and what business leaders can do to prepare their companies for success in the coming age. You will find Michael to be very plain spoken. When asked to define AI for us, he approached it in a way we have never heard before, starting with a reminder that on the Internet CATS are everywhere so he wants to use that as an acronym/nemonic. CATS is a reminder to always consider that when a person is talking about AI they may be referring to a Concept, and Application or a Techniques. So when you hear someone talk about AI, be sure to know which the speaker is referring to. We especially loved at the 10 minute mark in the discussion when he put AI into the context of the OODA loop. He thinks of AI as best in the observe and orient side of the OODA loop, since this is AI doing what it does best, but wants the decide and act part of the decision process to always be a human job.  We tend to agree of course, except in use cases where humans have decided the machines are ok to act. We asked Michael his views on the security if AI and coming issues of the threat and ways to mitigate threats to AI. His view: just like building trust with humans, we need to build trust with AI, and it will take time to do that. Michael's Bio: Michael Kanaan was the first chairperson of artificial intelligence for the U.S. Air Force, Headquarters Pentagon. In that role, he authored and guided the research, development, and implementation strategies for AI technology and machine learning activities across its global operations. He is currently the Director of Operations for Air Force / MIT Artificial Intelligence. In recognition of his fast-rising career and broad influence, the author was named to the 2019 Forbes "30 Under 30" list and has received numerous other awards and prestigious honors--including the Air Force's 2018 General Larry O. Spencer Award for Innovation as well as the US Government's Arthur S. Flemming Award (an honor shared by past recipients Neil Armstrong, Robert Gates, and Elizabeth Dole). Kanaan is a graduate of the US Air Force Academy and previously led a National Intelligence Campaign for Operation Inherent Resolve in Syria and Iraq.

Jim Miller has worked for four decades on a combination of private and public sector initiatives focused on addressing a wide variety of national security threats.  He has held numerous positions within the Department of Defense including serving as Under Secretary of Defense for Policy and has been awarded the DoD's highest civilian award four times. In this OODAcast, we discuss a wide variety of topics including: How to use red teaming to plan for emerging threats and opportunities How to bridge the gap between planning and execution Lessons-learned from 40 years of working with top strategists and thinkers Developing a new generation of experts to inform policy and strategy How the first DoD Cyber Policy was developed and how it contributed to addressing the cyber threat Emerging national security concerns and the global threat landscape Official Bio: Jim Miller is President of Adaptive Strategies, LLC, which provides consulting to private sector clients on strategy development and implementation, international engagement, and technology issues. He is a senior fellow at Johns Hopkins University’s Applied Physics Laboratory, and is a member of the International Institute for Strategic Studies and the Council on Foreign Relations. As Under Secretary of Defense for Policy from May 2012 to January 2014, Dr. Miller served as the principal civilian advisor to the Secretary of Defense on strategy, policy, and operations, working to strengthen relations with allies and partners in Europe, the Middle East, and Asia, and to reduce the risks of miscommunication with Russia and China. He served as Principal Deputy Under Secretary of Defense for Policy, from April 2009 to May 2012. For his accomplishments, he was awarded the Department of Defense’s highest civilian award, the Medal for Distinguished Public Service four times, twice by Secretary Gates, and by Secretaries Panetta and Hagel. He also received the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff’s Joint Distinguished Civilian Award. Dr. Miller was present at the creation for CNAS, serving as Senior Vice President and Director of Studies from 2007 to 2009. He previously served as Senior Vice President at Hicks and Associates, Inc. During the 1990s he was Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense for Requirements, Plans, and Counterproliferation Policy, Assistant Professor of Public Policy at Duke University, and senior professional staff member for the House Armed Services Committee. Dr. Miller received a B.A. degree with honors in economics from Stanford University, where he played tennis for a team that won several national championships. He earned Master’s and Ph.D. degrees in public policy from the John F. Kennedy School of Government at Harvard University. Additional Resources: OODA Network Interview with Jim Miller

Chet Richards was a close associate of the late US Air Force Colonel John Boyd. He was there as the concept of the OODA Loop was being developed and constructed the first graphics of the OODA Loop from sketches Boyd drew. Chet is the author of the widely read business book "Certain to Win" which was the first book to describe Boyd's strategy in terms familiar to business leaders and show how the OODA Loop and associated Boyd concepts apply to today's business problems. Business is not war, but in its most competitive state it is a form of conflict, with companies seeking advantage in bringing products and services to market better and faster than competitors. If you dig beneath Boyd's war-centered tactics you find a general strategy for ensuring your business is the one that wins. This fact is the entire reason our company, OODA, and this site, OODAloop.com, was named as an homage to this operational decision-making model. Boyd never wrote a business book himself, but he read and commented on every version of this book's manuscript till his death in 1997. Chet has consulted with a number of aerospace and professional services companies and has lectured at the Air War College and the Army’s Command and General Staff College. In this OODAcast Matt Devost and Bob Gourley ask the questions they have always wondered about Boyd and Richard's creative processes, their interactions with other great thought leaders, the relation of the OODA model to the writings of business strategists and how it inspired others like Tom Peters, and the power of building a trust-based network of peers. Additional Reading: Certain To Win book Chet's Blog  

Courtney Bowman leads Palantir's Privacy and Civil Liberties Engineering Team. In this capacity he works extensively with local, state and international governments and philanthropic partners to develop technology-driven solutions to information sharing needs that respect applicable privacy, security and data integrity requirements. He does so in a way that is informed by experience and well thought out approaches that we consider an exemplar for tech firms, enterprises and government data strategists. In this OODAcast we examine some of his approaches. Our discussion covered ethics, compliance and security in the modern age including a deep dive into approaches to managing data in a crisis. Through it all, Courtney provides insights that make it clear that privacy and ethics do not need to be placed at risk, even in a major crisis. Key to safeguarding privacy and security of data is having a well thought out data strategy focused on the right objectives, backed up with a secure data architecture. For more on Courtney and his views on the ethics of data in crisis see: Best practices for using data during a crisis The Architecture of Privacy: On engineering trustworthy safeguards